A Little Devil In Her Angel Eyes
by Generalfanatic
Summary: "Star, you are to be betrothed," her mother said firmly. "To who?" she exclaimed. No one spoke, no one moved. Her question seemed to have been answered when flames encased the room. "Hello, Starship." Crimson eyes stared down at her in an amused manner, but it was that smirk that made her scream.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings people.** **I don't approve of the long title of this story, but I thought it was fitting.**

 **So, after being absent for a year, I've decided to make a comeback because of the lack of SVTFOE lately.**

 **I am making this before season 2 comes out. If some information or content is incorrect later on in the story, then I apologize. I may alter it, but for the sake of my plot, I may not.**

 **As for Star's wand, it is fully functional and repaired.**

 **This takes place about three years after the events of season one, Star would be 17, etc. Tom's age is uncertain, so he is 18 in my story.**

 **So, without further ado.**

* * *

"Give it back, Star!" Marco complained. He helplessly watched as Star shoved the hoodie over her head. She hadn't realized she putting it on backwards until the hood covered her face.

"Marco, I think your hoodie's broken." Star said, her voice muffled by the fabric. Her hands attempted to grab anything in front of her. She finally managed to pull the hood back.

"Success!" she grinned. Blue eyes looked up, only to see Marco running towards her. She let out a surprised yelp and began scrambling towards the opposite direction. The princess stumbled over the various things laid out across her room. It was difficult to see, considering most of her hair was still trapped on the inside of the hoodie. A few stray golden strands covered her eyes, causing her to trip onto the floor. She landed with _'oof_. _'_

Marco stopped running to laugh at her ungraceful face-plant. He approached her with a small smile. Once he was beside her, he crossed his arms. "The Great Princess Star Butterfly, defeated by a hoodie. Alas, what a tragic defeat," the teen rehearsed melodramatically.

"Mmph opher yth..." she mumbled, while still on the ground.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Marco asked with a satisfied grin. Star suddenly turned around, wand grasped firmly with two hands.

"It isn't over yet," she exclaimed, "Stardust Daisy Devastation!"

"Uh oh..." Marco's eyes widened. A golden energy beam shot out from her wand, shooting Marco in the gut. He was pushed back, landing harmlessly on a large pile of feathers. Star stood up and let out a satisfied chuckle. She strut over to Marco, wand spinning in her hand. His head popped up from under all of the mess.

"You were saying?" she teased. Marco blew a feather that had landed on his face in the midst of the chaos.

"Marco: 3, Star: 7," he mumbled. Star let out a laugh.

"C'mon Marco," she quipped. She let herself fall to the ground. The princess gave her friend a quick kiss on the nose. "No one likes a sore loser."

Marco grinned and took the opportunity to steal back his jacket. Two hands spontaneously emerged from the pile of pillows. He gripped the sides of the red jacket's fabric.

"Ah! Stop! I'm ticklish." Star laughed. The other teen continued to yank the jacket off the blonde. He struggled a little more before the jacket was successfully removed from her body. Marco's eyes widened when he saw the shambles and knots that was currently Star's hair.

Both teens made eye contact. There was a few moments of silence before they burst out laughing. It took another few moments before they were able to calm down. The princess grabbed her wand and gave her head a light tap. Messy, golden hair suddenly straightened itself out.

That's what had consisted of their routine for the past couple of years. Waking up was just a door for an adventure that lied in the day before them. To Star, it was like starting fresh. It was a great feeling, one she'd never experienced while on Mewni. In the past years, the princess had been able to see more beauty in this dimension than in her own.

Her mother had thought that sending her to earth would be more of a punishment to correct her "unruly" behavior. However, it actually did the contrary. It gave her a sense of liberty to be outcaste from all the stressful duties her parents had to endure.

Queen Butterfly had certain expectations for Star, something she was reminded of almost every day.

Even though her parents _had_ been slacking lately. They'd gone a little quiet, calling less frequently as more days passed by. Not that Star was complaining. She could live the rest of her life in peace without their insistent badgering.

It wasn't that she didn't want to be a princess, it was the responsibility she couldn't bear. From what Star had seen, her father seemed pretty much miserable and although she loved her mother with every fiber in her heart, Queen Butterfly could be... daresay, _boring_.

She'd seen what the title did to people, and it either made life mundane or tyrannical. It wasn't a lifestyle she had a preference for. Sure, Star could deal with the glamor and certain perks of royalty, but other than that, there wasn't much to look forward to.

There was also the thought that one day she would have to leave the earth dimension. The blonde girl cherished everyday with Marco. She refused to think that those moments could end.

All it took was her mom's word and _poof_ , back to Mewni it was. It was scary how little say she had on the matter. The thought crept on her even more the older she grew. Month after month passed, and Star tried her hardest to postpone the inevitable. The princess knew she couldn't hide forever, but she could dang well try.

As long as it meant more time with Marco and other friends, she would try.

Despite the fact that the princess paid frequent visits to Mewni, she was about ready to make earth her permanent home

Here, Star could do what she loved: fighting evil. It what she was born to do, it was in her genes, inherited from her father. He had said so himself. Her mother had never really approved of Star fighting monsters by herself, preferring knights to fight a princesses' battle.

Like she said, _boring_.

It didn't matter; as long as she had her dad on her side, she would one day reach her full potential. Nevertheless, Star was perfectly content with keeping evil off the earth dimension. There wasn't much action for her on Mewni, her parents could handle that. They always had.

"Star, you okay...?" Marco questioned. He must have noticed her sudden change in moods. The princess perked up. This wasn't the first time these sort of thoughts had been triggered out of nowhere. It seemed that they were becoming more recurrent.

Star noticed Marco's concerned expression. The princess couldn't help but smile.

What would she do without her Marco?

She reached over and punched him. "Better than you," she remarked. Marco rubbed his arm and good-naturedly rolled his eyes.

"If we're done here, I'd like to get going." he said, putting the hoodie over his head.

"Oh yeah sure, sure... Let's go." she replied. The princess confidently headed towards door.

She opened it, then stopped. Star turned to Marco and her blue eyes blinked owlishly at him, "Um, go where exactly?"

"It's free comic book day!" Marco exclaimed. Star jumped up in glee, momentarily startling Marco.

"Woo-hoo! It's free comic book day!" she exclaimed as she bounced around the room. It might have been Marco's imagination, but he could have sworn he was seeing sparkles gleam off Star every time she happily took a step. The blonde suddenly stopped and turned to Marco. "What's... free comic book day?"

"The day where they give out free comics, hence the name..." he said. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Comics...?" she asked. The way she pronounced it seemed foreign to her tongue.

Marco sighed, "You don't know what comics are, do you?"

"No, but I like free things, so let's go!" she suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Whoa, Star-!" the teenager was suddenly cut off as Star suddenly raced for the window. Luckily Marco was able to firmly plant his feet onto the ground.

"Hang on, at least let me put on my shoes." the Hispanic teen said.

The princess gave an exaggerated sigh, "Fine..."

She allowed him to put on his footwear. "Okay, done."

"Star Butterfly, _away_!" Her grip tightened around his hand and they suddenly crashed through her window. Marco let out a shriek.

"Star what are you-" a scream escaped his mouth as they plummeted towards the ground. In a flash, Star pulled out her wand and pointed it towards the ground. A bright streak hit the ground, covering it with soft daisies.

Both teenagers landed softly on the flowers. Star landed gracefully, while Marco landed face first. He scrambled up, shaking the flowers from his hair.

"Uh, Star," he spoke, spitting a mouthful of yellow daisies.

"Yeah?" asked the cheerful princess.

"As much as I love jumping out windows, could we use the door next time?" he asked wearily.

"And miss out on that fun? Heck no!" she replied.

"Alright, let's just get going," Marco said rubbing his head. The pair stood up. Star flicked her wand so that the mess of plants disappeared.

"Free comic book day, here I come!" Star said, excitedly pumping her fists in the air.

"You don't even know where the store is." the boy said, shaking his head.

"Psh. Well that's 'cause you haven't told me." she crossed her arms.

"Well, we better get going if we want the best issues," the teen explained, "If we walk five miles per hour, we should be able to get there 10 minutes before the shop opens-"

Star rolled her eyes at her friend. He always had to overcomplicate the simplest of things.

"Marco, Marco... shh..." her hands patted his face. Marco lightly slapped her hands away. "There's no need for that mathematician junk. Not when I got _this_." the princess presented her gleaming wand.

"Star, I don't really think there's any need for that," Marco said. It seems he wasn't as impressed as her.

"But don't you want to get there early?" Star asked.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't rely on your wand so often. Look at me, for example." he said. Star's eyes focused in his direction. "I don't have a wand, and I'm doing just fine."

"Well that's because you're not a princess from outer space." she waggled her finger knowingly, "Relax Marco, trust in your good compadre Star." she said motioning to herself.

"That's not the right usage of the word," the boy deadpanned, "But if you say so."

Star jumped in glee while going to take his hand. "Lightning change back!" She stood in her pose for a few moments. After the blonde saw nothing was happening, she began knocking on the faceplate of her magical device. Her blue eyes carefully inspected it.

"Is everything alright, Star?" the other teen asked.

"Lightning change back!" she commanded. Again, there was nothing. "Hm, I could have sworn I replaced the battery just last week."

The wand suddenly started beeping loudly.

"It's never done _that_ before!" the blonde began growing worried. She looked at Marco, he seemed as confused as her. Star lightly tapped it.

"Make it stop," she gave it to Marco.

"What? Why me? Does it look like I'm the wand expert here?" Marco panicked.

The wand then stopped beeping. They both gave a sigh of relief.

Replacing the noise of the wand, was a loud tear. Star looked up to see a large hole sprouting from thin air. Large men in silver armor began surrounding them, the metal on their feet stomping the ground so roughly the concrete shook.

Marco began getting in position for combat. The blonde was about to copy until she realized that the men were knights from Mewni. Star raised an arm towards Marco, a sign for him to stop.

"Princess Star Butterfly, we have received strict orders by King and Queen Butterfly to escort you to Mewni. Please come with us." a guard spoke. He was the only one without a helmet, so Star assumed he was the leader.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion.

"The King and Queen urgently wish for your presence," was all that he said. Star and Marco exchanged glances. She knew better than to go against her parents.

They began walking towards the portal. Suddenly, two spears crossed in front of Marco. He slightly jumped back.

"The earthling cannot come." the guard spoke. The princess looked up at the soldier defiantly.

"He goes or I'm not going." she declared. The girl crossed her arms and met the intense stare of the knight. The man gripped his weapon, trying to intimidate her. Star was not so easily scared, and pointed her wand at him.

The man scowled and ordered his crew to remove the spears blocking Marco's path.

Star threw him one last glance before grabbing Marco's hand.

"That was a close one..." he mumbled.

Star didn't respond, too puzzled on why her parents would cause this much of a scandal for her. Sure, they had called for her on many occasions, but never on terms this seriously. Well, except when she was in trouble, but Star hadn't done anything wrong, at least not lately. She began to feel worry gnaw on her numbing fingertips.

The other teen sensed her distress and was quick to send her a reassuring smile. She looked at him and squeezed his hand.

The pair entered the portal, followed by the array of soldiers.

Upon exiting the portal, Star noticed they had directly transported into the castle of Mewni, specifically her castle.

Her large blue orbs gazed around the room, but something didn't seem quite right. The usual organized interior of the castle was now an unruly disaster. Chairs were thrown across the room and papers were flying everywhere. The walls were scratched and stained with ugly colors.

Across the room, there was a long vertical table. About a dozen Mewnians surrounded the table, all consisting of officials, generals, and senators.

Star recognized them; most of them had a strong reputation for their prestigious and calm demeanors. They were the leaders that helped the King and Queen maintain order in Mewni, it was necessary for them to be calm under pressure.

Though at the moment, they didn't seem all that calm.

They were all out of their chairs, their boisterous yelling resonating across the room. The Mewnians argued with one another. Their usual passive faces currently held angry and unfriendly glares. Star could hardly even recognize the people with all the disorder surrounding them. She had to look around again to make sure she was in the right castle. The princess had never seen such a disarray. Whatever was happening couldn't be good if even the calmest of senators were reacting this way. The situation did nothing to reassure her concern.

A guard stepped forward.

"Announcing, Princess Butterfly," he spoke loudly.

Absolute silence.

It frightened Star how abruptly everyone had quieted. She released Marco's hand to approach her parents.

"Mom... Dad, what's going on?" she asked almost timidly. The Mewnians at the table exchanged glances and murmured amongst each other.

"Silence," her father commanded. The King acknowledged her and Marco.

"What is _he_ doing here?" he asked, motioning towards the boy next to her. The tone of his voice almost offended Star. Her dad had never referred to Marco in such a cold way.

"She wouldn't come unless the _earthling_ accompanied her." the Guard said, throwing her a spiteful glance. Star stuck her tongue out at him.

The King then turned to Star. Her eyes widened momentarily, and she sheepishly waved at him. Her father wearily sighed. "Fine, so long as he does not cause disruptions, he can stay," River Butterfly turned towards the guards, "You are all dismissed."

"Star please take a seat." her mother's voice rang in ears. The princess looked at Marco for reassurance. He nodded. Two seats were positioned next to the King and Queen for Star and her 'guest.'

The blonde girl looked at her parents, suddenly realizing how _tired_ they looked. Her dad looked like he had aged 10 years since the last time she had seen him. Grey hairs were sticking out from his messy beard, and there were prominent wrinkles on his cheeks. He looked thin, which didn't seem to help his appearance.

Her mom had always been a beautiful lady. However, it seemed that stress had gotten the better of her too. There were dark rings under her eyes, making Star believe that her mom hadn't slept in days. The permanent lines on her skin also hinted that she was worrying more than necessary.

"What's going on?" Star asked again. Queen Butterfly nudged her husband.

"Star, dear... I-I..." he looked away for a moment, "There is no easy way to tell you this." King River Butterfly desperately looked at his wife for guidance.

"W-what? Dad... you're kind of scaring me." Star said.

"We had no choice- I'm sorry!" he blurted. Queen Butterfly sighed in frustration. She seemed to already know that her husband was unfit to deliverer this type of news. All it took was a look from their daughter's baby blues for the mighty King to cower back like a child. The Queen rubbed the bridges of her nose.

"What's going on?" Star asked louder.

"Star, you are to be betrothed." her mother said firmly. The princess blinked at them. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She nervously gripped her fists together.

"Ha... that's a good one, mom and dad," she began awkwardly laughing, hoping others would join. Star looked at Marco and nudged him to join. The pair uncomfortably laughed in the silence.

When no one spoke or laughed, they stopped. Star looked at the other disorganized Mewnians. Apart from weariness, they all wore serious expressions. They looked at her, but said nothing. She turned to her dad for some type of support, but she saw he was avoiding her gaze.

Her eyes met her mother's. Queen Butterfly's eyes were sharp and impatient.

"No..." Star whispered. Many emotions overcame her, and the realization that this was no cruel joke made anger and desperation bubble up in the pit of her stomach. She looked at Marco, but it seemed he had nothing to say either.

"Betrothed? As in married?" she asked, her tone a little sharper than usual.

"Yes," was her mother's immediate response. There were many questions in her head; there was so much clarification she needed. The moment seemed to be happening so quickly, she couldn't believe how much her day had escalated. Today was supposed to be a _good_ day, just another part of her usual routine.

The princess felt the room spin. She clutched her stomach.

Star struggled to say something, however, there was only one question made it past her spinning head. It wasn't the most important one on her list, but no other words managed to escape her lips. She had said it before she had time to comprehend it.

"To _who_?" she asked.

This time, her mother didn't immediately respond. In fact, the room seemed to have grown even more quiet, if that was possible.

Behind her, the door opened. Almost everybody turned to look, except for her. The blonde girl looked directly at her mother. Queen Butterfly's face softened, her expression seeming to morph into something Star could only identify as guilt.

There were multiple footsteps coming from behind, but Star was stubborn. The princess kept her gaze firmly locked on her mom. She refused to turn around, even as the familiar aroma of fire filled her nostrils. Not even at hearing the other people's gasps. Not even as the footsteps approached her. Not even as dread began sinking in.

A familiar voice emitted from behind her.

Her insides ran cold and she gripped the edge of the table so tightly, her knuckles began turning white. Her throat constricted; despite all her attempts, she wasn't able to say anything.

"Hello _, Starship_."

Her stiff neck turned until she was able to see the owner of the voice. Crimson eyes stared down at her in an amused manner, but it was that smirk that made her scream.


	2. Chapter 2

**After seeing the episode _Mr. Candle Cares_ , I found myself a little disappointed at Tom's "brooding". A** **s Prince of the Underworld,** **I expected him to be a little more voracious, someone with a personality as passionate as his fire; I mean, it's shown he has an explosive temper, and now he's all quiet and broody? I ultimately figured that being a demon prince makes you see things.**

 **However, I'm taking a few liberties and adding some fuel to the fire, making him how demon princes should be.**

 **Also, don't be fooled with the first chapter, I intend to make this story Tom/Star, a pairing I think is painfully underrated, but there may be hints of a love triangle and all that good stuff.**

 **Thank you for the feedback, I'd love to hear more.**

* * *

Star's shriek was enough to startle everyone in the room, except for Tom, who oddly enough seemed unfazed. Star jumped out of her seat, instinctively grabbing her wand in defense. Marco, being the loyal friend that he was, followed her actions. Everyone in the room stood from their seats in a much more orderly fashion. The senators stared in shock at first. No one in the room dared to move.

It was like this for a few minutes.

Growing irritated at the awkward atmosphere, Tom cleared his throat. The senators soon realize their mistake.

All of the officials and guards bowed on one knee, in front of the salmon-haired demon. The sudden movement, caused Star to snap out of her slight trance. She couldn't help but stare in open disbelief. She looked at her parents for clarification but was frightened when she saw the two rulers kneeling as well.

Star's grip slackened on her wand, and her battle stance dropped. A sudden cord struck her heart at the sight. Two of the most fearless, most stubborn leaders of the dimensions, were kneeling to a person not much older than her, of all people, they were kneeling to _Tom_.

It was pure humiliation knowing that her proud race had resorted to bowing as if they hadn't ruled over their Kingdom for decades. They are the monarchy of Mewni, not _common people._ These were the most powerful people she had ever known, it disappointed her to see them like this. Nothing more had insulted her pride than seeing her King and Queen, her mother and father, bow— show submission, to someone as despicable as Tom.

There had to be a reason for it; it was not everyday that the King and Queen of Mewni kneeled, the thought was almost unheard of!

Her blue eyes turned icy at the sight of him. Tom's posture mirrored his nonchalance; it was a direct insult to ignore the respect her fellow Mewnians were paying him. He must have noticed the indignation on her face because his smirk had widened into a malicious grin.

The young man crossed his arms on his lean torso. Tom wore an untarnished white suit; the pristine cloth matched his unblemished, pale complexion. If it weren't for the horns jutting from the sides of his head, or those unnerving ruby eyes, she would have said he looked somewhat angelic. The irony in that was as strong as the sudden rage she was feeling. His posture straightened at the sight of her defensive stance.

"Now this is what I call a welcome party," he spoke. At his cue, her parents and the council stood. Nobody said a word. The demon looked around, observing his surroundings. It unnerved Star how calm he seemed in a room filled with Mewni's monarchy.

But then again, it wasn't him who was bowing, and there was bound to be an explanation for that.

"Hm... I have a feeling I walked in on a bad moment," he stated unapologetically, "Well, what's done is done." His eyes continued to rove the room until they finally landed on her. He feigned ignorance, as if he had just noticed her, which she knew was a bunch of baloney. "Oh! How _disrespectful_ of me, I haven't even greeted Mewni's future queen."

Her parents took their place beside her, and the senators respectfully stepped aside. They nervously kept their distance between themselves and the demon; it was obvious that no one wanted to be near someone who could summon flames.

King Butterfly placed a hand behind her back, but Star noticed how it tightened protectively.

"Star, please go do us the respect and greet our guest," her father spoke. His words were somewhat forced, and his posture was rigid. In his eyes, she could see the fear, in fact, she could see it in the eyes of all the Mewnians. The fact certainly befuddled her.

Star felt like scoffing. They might fear him, but her pride only allowed her to feel contempt for the demon. The princess refused to yield to him.

"No way, I'm not going to greet that creep," she snapped defiantly. The room silenced with tension. There were a few collective gasps from the Mewnians, as well as a few nervous glances. Her father's hand tightened, but he didn't respond.

Star looked around the room. Not for the first time, she felt a flash of uncertainty in her gut. She glanced at Marco, but he seemed even more clueless than her. The earthling looked thoroughly out of place, as well as uncomfortable with tension in the room.

Tom's amusement vanished, and his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. A minuscule of flames ignited by his shoes. The demon released a harsh chuckle, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

In the end, it was the Queen who had come forth to break the tension. She placed a hand on Star's shoulder. The princess saw the reassurance in her mom's eyes, or was it desperation?

" _Please_ do us the honor and greet King Tom, Star dear." Queen Butterfly spoke. The blonde girl didn't know if it was because of her mom's pleading look, of her soft words, but her resolve crumbled.

"...King...?" Star questioned. Her mom quickly nodded. Alright, so she couldn't beat him to a pulp yet. She swallowed a lump in her throat. The blonde girl looked around the room, noticing how everyone was staring at her expectantly. The number of eyes on her began to make her feel self-conscious. Normally, she would have welcomed the attention, but all she felt was dread sink in the pit of her stomach.

 _Actions now, questions later._

The princess took a few tentative steps forward. Marco made a move to follow her, but two large guards stood in his way. He looked at Star for assistance. She nodded at him in a silent show that she had things under control.

Star looked at Tom... at King Tom. That was certainly new. Last time she had seen him, he was nothing more than a hormonal, teenage Prince. Getting a better look at him, she saw that age had affected him too, but not in the same negative way as her parents.

His shoulders were broad and confident, though his stance was a little too arrogant for her liking. Star had a sudden urge to punch him in the face and show everyone in the room how little of a threat he really was. His defined features were striking and now her fists were shaking with the urge to disfigure his good looks. Someone as internally ugly as him didn't deserve to have such a pretty face.

It didn't matter how much he thought he could fool everyone around her; to her, he was the same impulsive demon she had know years ago.

In a bold move, Tom stepped towards her and kneeled.

Star flinched back. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

He reached for her hand, causing Star to tense. Instinct dictated either fight or flight, but his crimson gaze let her do neither. He kept her glued to the floor.

The demon King ignored her discomfort and delicately wrapped his fingers over her soft palm. He flipped it around, his thumb caressing her knuckles. Small tingles ran up from where his fingers touched bare skin. Tom's hand was hot, bordering on warm and seething. It was more blistering than she remembered it being.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, my princess," he said. Tom's voice was low; most would have thought his tone was endearing, but Star knew better. He was mocking her by throwing her title in her face. His blood-red eyes locked with hers as his lips descended onto her soft hand. He placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, his lips lingering longer than necessary.

Star couldn't help but blush at the sensation, but she was convinced that she was disgusted by his charming gesture.

"Can't say the same thing." She audaciously snatched her hand from his grasp. At first, he frowned irritably, causing the tension in the room to rise once again.

Then Tom chuckled, "Of course you can't say the same thing, I'm a King, not a princess." He patted her head in a patronizing manner. Star threw him a glare and stepped away before he could make any more contact. She returned her attention to her parents.

"Now will somebody please tell me what the heck is going on here?" Star demanded.

* * *

"Star, dear, I'm going to please ask you to listen closely," Queen Butterfly said. Star looked as if she was going to object. "We know you have a lot of questions, you will have your chance to ask them."

The princess listened intently.

After their little scene, all of them had regrouped at the table, including Tom, and an ugly, large creature, that had arrived with him. Everybody in the room still seemed tense, but at least the senators had composed themselves.

She glanced at Marco, knowing that at this point he was the only person she could truly rely on. They locked gazes. He gave her a reassuring thumbs up.

"There is no denying the obvious, Star. We are aging, we've _been_ aging for the past decades, it was a miracle we were to have been blessed with you. Though, as we continue past our prime, you are barely entering yours. We've all known it was a matter of time before you could ascend as our heir."

"You want me to become queen already?" she blurted out.

"As a princess, you have already been taught to take the initiative when becoming queen. You are expected to take the title, should anything happen to us," her mother countered. The blonde girl let out a quiet grunt to express her irritation.

"And where exactly does he come in?" Star rudely pointed towards the young King sitting across from her. Despite her inappropriate gesture, there was a charming smile on his face that Star was beginning to despise.

"Well if you are to become Queen, it is only natural that you have a Kin—" her mother was cut off.

"I'm getting married to _him_ because you two are "aging"? Really? I was hardly prepared to be queen, much less a _married_ queen," the princess uttered nervously, "I'm going to do things my way. I don't need anyone to help me run this Kingdom when I become Queen," she paused to look at her mother, "What does it matter anyways? Most of the time, Mom, you seem to do things herself," Star said.

The King let out an indignant huff, his cheeks turning bright red. At another time, her mother might have been amused, but all Star saw was weary blue eyes.

"Star Butterfly, please refrain from any inappropriate comments. Do try to be mature; do not interrupt us again. We know you are skeptical, but you must wait before it is your turn to speak." her mother replied coldly. The princess recoiled as if she had been slapped. She clenched her fists and exhaled.

"This is not only about the heir to the thrown; you weren't even supposed to become Queen until you were much older and experienced, but it seems we're going to have to forward the process. I assure you, this decision was much thought out than you believe," Queen Butterfly said. Her mother's face seemed to have tightened, causing her wrinkles to become more pronounced. Star was beginning to see more of the aging thing her parents were talking about.

Her dad spoke up. "Having you take the throne is more of a battle strategy than anything else," River Butterfly paused to make sure he had his daughter's attention, "There is an unstopped force that plagues the universe. All of them consist of monsters, many whom which have gathered from countless dimensions."

"Monster rebellions are becoming much more frequent. Their army continues to expand, even the strongest haven't been able to stop them," a middle-aged senator spoke.

"They have already conquered multiple dimensions. Almost no one can compete with their military prowess. Their technology is much more advanced than we could ever dream. Mewni's weaponry is considered primitive compared to there's," a female senator continued.

Her father sighed, "We fear for our people, our race."

Again, Star felt the need to interrupt. "But we're Mewnians! We're powerful, we have my wand and an entire army to command! We just need more time to prepare for them, but we can totally handle them! Our knights are strong. You can't tell me that we're admitting defeat this early on. How _great_ can they be anyways? They're only a bunch of dumb monsters—"

Tom spoke for the first time since the conference started. His voice was sharp, startling almost everybody in the room. "They might be a bunch of," he scoffed, " _d_ _umb monsters_ , as you call them, but as you've heard, they've conquered multiple dimensions, which means they've _slaughtered_ hundreds of soldiers and hundreds of innocents." He crossed his arms, but his expression remained impassive.

Her mouth tightened into a thin line. She wrenched her gaze away from him. Her blue eyes flickered towards her parents. Tom noticed her hesitation and continued.

"What? You didn't know?" he asked. Her silence was enough to answer his question. "Well someone's behind on news. Let's take a gamble, shall we?" Tom straightened in his chair to lean his arm on the table. "I bet you don't even know that they've already attacked Mewni."

Her eyes widened fearfully. A sudden pang caused her heart to palpitate harder than usual. His words were a bitter crash into reality. "W-what? No... no, you're lying!" the princess shouted.

River Butterfly glared angrily at Tom. "You weren't supposed to tell her that, demon!" King Butterfly had stood up, only to have two other demons guards growl. They stood, ready to guard their demon King against any threat. Tom dismissed them, unfazed by King Butterfly's outburst.

"Wow, there are definitely trust issues here. You might be comfortable hiding the truth, but I don't see why _I_ have to lie to the princess," the demon King replied calmly. He turned back to her. "Those "dumb monsters" took out half of the Mewni army and 10 percent of your population." The princess gasped. "That's right, no one was able to escape their wrath, not even Mewni. From what I've heard, they've even gotten to Uni. You know that nice fellow, King Pony Head?"

" _Tom_..." King Butterfly warned.

Star looked up at him with her big blue eyes.

"He's dead," the demon stated darkly.

"Pony Head...?" Star asked weakly. At this point her voice was shaky, and her eyes were stinging with tears. Rage and sorrow filled her from head to toe. Absentmindedly, she could hear more outbursts, caused by Tom's imprudence. Her father had gone and launched himself at the other younger King. Tom used his telekinesis; a wave of his finger was enough to send her father flying across the room. Mewni guards stepped in to defend their royalty, and so did Tom's demon minions.

"That's not all, Starship. Your parents have been _very_ secretive lately," he said.

"Secretive? There's _more_?" she questioned incredulously. Marco lightly grasped her arm. The blonde girl momentarily glanced at him.

"Star, don't you think we should wait until your parents tell you this? It seems kinda important and I'm not sure I trust Tom." Marco suggested.

"You actually believe they'll tell you the truth? King and Queen think they can keep this all censored from their innocent little girl, but we know better, don't we Star?" Tom asked with a dangerous glint in his eyes. She looked into those red orbs and saw deadly promise. The blonde girl leaned forward.

"Tell me." the princess stated. Her sapphire eyes looked at him assertively.

"Star—" Marco was interrupted.

"I'm willing to tell you the rest in private, we seem to be attracting an audience." he gestured to Marco and the loud yells around them.

Star finally registered her surroundings. She saw the knights holding back her father, while also trying to defend against the much larger demon minions. Fists were swung around as well as death threats. Bodies were thrown back, some colliding with the expensive portraits and some colliding with the glass vases. The council had begun to argue among themselves as well, and the only one making an effort to silence them was her mom.

Everything was becoming chaos.

She looked back at Tom. He was calmly sitting in his chair, his arms calmly folded behind his head. His posture showed his indifference to the violence around him. Star shouldn't have been so surprised; Tom was in fact, the King of chaos.

"Everyone _shut up_!" Star roared. She lifted her wand causing a powerful burst of energy to rumble throughout the room. The blonde girl stood up, her chin raised authoritatively.

"Get out." she commanded, "Everybody get out. That includes you too, weird demon minions."

They growled at her, but Star was not intimidated.

Tom raised a hand, "You heard the Princess. Do as she says." His guards didn't seem to be happy taking orders from her, but they knew better than to disobey their King.

"Star—" her mother began, though stopped when Tom stood up. He dusted off his pristine suit, before striding towards them.

"I'd like to discuss important matters with the Princess. So if it's all the same to you King and Queen Butterfly, I'd like some privacy." Tom stated arrogantly. Both adults exchanged glances before giving defeated sighs. Much to Star's shock, they didn't argue. She was both relieved and angered by this.

The other Mewnians composed themselves and gave hasty bows before scurrying out of the room. Next were Tom's minions, who bowed completely towards their master. Then her parents, who half bowed at the knees. They threw her a concerned glance.

Star, however, refused to look at them.

The Mewni guards were the last to leave. They weren't all that trusting in leaving their princess with the demon King. Tom stepped in front of them. Fire began igniting from his feet, almost burning the guards.

"C'mon, you can trust the future King of Mewni can't you?" Tom smirked at the guards. Star felt like passing out from hearing those words. He seemingly gave one of the guards a pat on the shoulder. Tom gripped the guard's shoulder, his eyes glowing when they met the guard's. Suddenly the knight gave a pained shriek and fell to his knees. The young man looked at the other knights expectantly.

They suddenly looked very worried.

"Don't make me ask again." All of them gave hasty nods before disappearing with their fallen comrade. Tom didn't take his eyes off them until all of them had skedaddled. "Well, not very loyal, but easily persuaded. I'll keep that in mind," he muttered.

"What did you do to him?" Marco angrily asked. Star had forgotten he was next to her with all the commotion. He hadn't been very helpful in this situation, not that she could blame him; this was a matter of Mewni's foreign relations, something he wasn't educated in. Apparently, neither was she.

"Marco," Tom acknowledged him unenthusiastically, "You're still here."

"That's right, I'm here to support my best friend until the end." the earthling proudly spoke.

"Hm. Hasn't anyone ever told you that three's a crowd?" the demon asked.

"You're right," Marco said, "The door's over there, don't let it hit you on the way out." Internally, the teen gave himself points for being witty.

Tom deadpanned. "Charming," he said dryly.

"Marco..." Star said gently. He turned to her. "Maybe... maybe you should go home."

Marco almost stumbled out of his seat. "What? Star, everything about this screams danger, are you not reading the signs?"

"I just need to be alone..."

"Alone with the demon King?" the teen asked. His eyes peered at the two. Star and Tom's eyes were locked together in a silent battle. It was a harsh contrast, fiery crimson, and icy sapphire. Immediately, he realized there was no convincing his best friend; her mind was set. Marco gave a long sigh. _The things Star gets me into._ "How about I stand outside in case something happens?" he suggested.

"Sounds like someone can't take a hint," Tom muttered softly but loud enough so that Marco could hear.

"Real ironic coming from you," the Hispanic remarked.

"Marco..." Star warned him softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring manner. Marco raised his hands in defeat.

"Fiine. But if anything happens, yell for me." Marco exited the room, giving the "I'm-watching-you" gesture to Tom. His flames imitated his growing anger. The demon King was able to keep his mouth shut for only so long.

"Hey Marco," Tom called out.

"What?" Marco paused. A smirk appeared on Tom's light colored skin.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

* * *

Star examined Tom from across the table. He wearing a patronizing grin, arms comfortably settled behind his head. His eyes were confident and unafraid, despite the fury in Star's big blues.

"Tell me everything," she demanded. The princess instinctively grabbed her wand, just in case he tried anything funny.

"I'm a pretty fair guy, all you have to do is ask nicely and I'll tell you all you need to know," Tom replied. The young man arched an eyebrow at her glare.

"I'm serious, Tom." Star clutched her wand.

"What? So am I," he responded innocently. He noticed when she clutched her wand. "Tsk, tsk, where are your manners, Starship? Is that any way to treat your guests?"

" _Please_ tell me everything. There, happy now?" she snapped. Star wasn't known for being ill-tempered, but the sudden burst of information was making her patience crumble. She was feeling betrayed, hurt, and even more suffocated than usual. Her insides were tingling with worry, and despite the room being large and empty, she felt as if the walls were closing in on her.

"Wow, that was really pathetic," he deadpanned, " _But_ , I'll take what I can get." Tom unfolded his arms to lean forward on the table. "So what do you want to know, tell me what you're just _itching_ to ask."

Star opted to ignore his tone. "Is Uni really destroyed?"

"Really? That's what you're going to ask first?" he questioned, seeming unimpressed. The blonde girl groaned aloud, slumping in her chair.

"Tom! Can you stop with the games already?" Star snapped.

"Alright, alright. I can see I'm wearing your patience." Tom raised his hands to show her no ill-will. She responded by frustratingly blowing a stray hair from her eyes. "No, Uni is not destroyed." He saw the relieved look on her face and took pleasure in uttering his next words.

"However, the King _is_ dead and the monsters have taken over the planet. The people that weren't evacuated from the planet, are now enslaved."

"What about Pony Head?" Star grew pale. Her insides churned; she could taste her breakfast in the back of her throat.

"Hn, she was one of the few that made it out alive... _unfortunately,_ " he muttered. The blonde girl released the breath she was holding in.

"So it's true what you said about Mewni? Half of our army is gone?" she asked. Her voice was strained, almost as if not believing what he had said was true.

"Yes, all of that's true," he confirmed. At seeing Star's dismay, he decided to lighten her spirits. "Mewni forces weren't totally useless, though. They managed to run the monsters out," Tom saw her expression brighten. He wasted no time in continuing, "But they'll be back, especially now that Mewni's been weakened,"

Again, her smile dropped.

"Where exactly do you come in?" she questioned skeptically.

"And _there_ it is," he replied, "The million dollar question."

" _Tom_..."

"Well, Mewni was a wreck when all that happened, even more so than now. They needed protection; they needed allies. One problem though: All Mewni's allies were either refused, were useless, conquered, or dead. King and Queen Butterfly were running out of options. They were definitely desperate." Tom paused dramatically.

Star took a big gulp, ignoring the tears that stung her eyes. She attempted to remove all emotion from her face so that Tom wouldn't get the upper hand.

"So I was just minding my own business and then, _knock knock_. I wondered: _who could possibly be at my door_?" he recited. The first thing Star did was go into denial. She shook her head slowly, eyes wide in bewilderment.

"You can't be— That's not true..."

"That's right, _they_ came to me. Doesn't it just grind your gears knowing that I had absolutely nothing to with it?" he grinned, his white fangs glinting in the light.

"Why would they go to _you_?" the princess was frantic and unafraid to raise her voice to the demon King.

"Ouch, that really hurts, Star," he feigned a blow to the heart. "I've been King for almost two years. In that time, our army has grown stronger, and our empire larger. While you've been with your head clouded in that Earth dimension, I've been busy gaining my own reputation. Those monsters have tried to take over Kingdom and let's just say... their army didn't make it very far." Tom held his pointer finger up and allowed a flame to ignite above it.

Star couldn't help but cringe. "So my parents came to you, what happened then?"

"I'm sure you can put two and two together," he remarked, "At the time, King and Queen Butterfly thought: what could they possibly have to offer me, the demon King? They had nothing, with half of Mewni destroyed and most of their resources gone. I had my own Kingdom to protect, I couldn't just waste my resources, you know how it is. I guess they must've thought: _well, every King needs a Queen_. Lucky for them, I was feeling generous enough to accept their offer," the young man explained.

Star looked at him expectantly, waiting to see if he had more to say. He didn't.

" _That's it_?" she blurted.

"That sums it up," Tom replied.

"They just sold me? Are they that quick to send me to my grave? They didn't even think about asking me? They think they can just _do_ this?" Star stood up, knocking her chair over. She stomped her boots on the cold tiled floor. The princess ran her hands through her messy blonde hair. She growled, kicking another vase to the floor. Her boots crunched over it. "That's— that's not fair!"

"Life tends to be like that," Tom piped. Star's eyes narrowed at him. She marched up to him, arms crossed stubbornly, lip in an angry pout.

"If they think I'm ever going to marry you, they are dead wrong!" the blonde girl poked roughly in the chest, "I'd rather let you annihilate the earth before ever marrying _you_." She directly insulted him to his face, disregarding any consequences.

"Give me a valid explanation to understand your great reasoning, and maybe I'll pity you," Tom remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well for one, you're _evil!_ " she spat, poking him again in the chest.

"Oh, I'm evil? That never seemed to bother you before," he replied coyly. Star couldn't help but flush. He was definitely trying her patience.

"You're an obsessive, despicable creature, I mean you're the demon King for crying out loud! You can forget my parents ever offered anything, I don't need your help in saving my dimension."

Tom's amusement completely vanished. His eyebrows narrowed, and his eyes began glowing ruby with white pupils. He stood up, grabbing the hand that Star had poked him with. Star struggled to take her limb from his grasp, only to have Tom grab her arm instead. Once his grip was tight enough, he pulled her against himself. Before Star could grab her wand, he pinned her other arm as well.

Star was about to scream, but once Tom had lowered himself to her ear, she ceased struggling. The blonde girl fearfully held her breath. Standing so close to him, she could feel the raw power emanating from his body. It was searing, uncontrollable, almost as if it was going to consume her. For once in her life, she was beginning to feel real fear for Tom. This was not the moody teen she remembered, this was someone else.

"What if it were your precious Mewni that was to be annihilated, would you still let it happen? In case you didn't get the memo, I'm the only one who's stopping those _dumb monsters_ from taking away everything you ever loved. We're talking about thousands of people, countless dimensions that are relying on their beloved princess to say the magic words of _I do_ ," his hot breath caressed her skin, his low tone causing shivers to pass through her spine, "As royalty, you have a duty to be selfless and devoted. This is not only about you. Remember that, Princess."

Tom suddenly released her, brushing himself off as if her skin was dirty enough to stain his white suit. Star watched him exit the room. Before he completely stepped out, he turned to her.

"Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your own hands are clean, Star Butterfly." The door abruptly slammed shut, leaving Star feeling alone and lost in the empty room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the support, I appreciate the feedback!**

* * *

Marco desperately tried pressing his ear towards the door. He didn't know what it was made out of, but the material was thick enough to censor the entire conversation from inside. That didn't stop him from trying to snoop, though.

They were all alone in there, and Marco wasn't fond of being left out of the commotion. He had always been able there for Star when she needed him the most. Just because Tom had decided to show his face didn't mean that was going to change. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to open the door to take a peak; the door would be heavy enough to echo across the room and bring him attention. Marco was sure that neither Star or Tom would appreciate his intrusion.

The earthling cringed at using their names in the same sentence. _Star_ , his best friend, was supposed to marry _Tom_ , the demon prince—no, King. He wasn't sure what was stranger: the fact that she was marrying, or the fact that it was Tom.

She was Marco's age; however, marriage had been the last thing he worried about in his long list of accomplishments. He didn't even have a girlfriend, much less a fiancé.

It just went to show how different their lives actually were. Most of the time, Marco forgot that they weren't even the same species: he was a human, and she was a Mewman. He was one of the billions of people on Earth, and she was royalty of her entire race.

Marco understood that at one point their paths were going to split, but it was hard to think of a life where they didn't go to school together or fight evil alongside each other. The teen wasn't oblivious; he knew it was going to happen, but he thought he would have had more time. From what he knew, princes and princesses didn't take to the throne until the after King died. Star should have had plenty of years left.

It was stupid of him to think that there would be the slim chance that Star would stay on Earth, that she would stay with him. It was ironic how Earth was supposed to be her punishment, it was supposed to teach her how to mature, but instead, it had taught her to be carefree, to live the life of a normal girl with normal expectations.

Princess or not, Marco was a firm believer of being able to choose one's own destiny.

All this situation reeked of Tom's doing. He would help Star before she fell victim of the demon's schemes. To think, Marco had once thought that Tom had stopped chasing after Star. After three years, it had seemed that the demon was finally moving on, but apparently, that wasn't true. It just went to show to what extents Tom would go to get what he wanted.

The earthling couldn't understand Tom's obsession with Star. Star and that demon had barely been adolescents when they had dated. Marco had a feeling that Tom simply couldn't understand why someone would reject the demon King, so maybe it was the closure what he wanted.

The Hispanic teen would get to the bottom of this, because everybody had a choice, and Star's choice was definitely not Tom. There was no way he'd let him get away with this, that demon was probably manipulating everybody somehow, maybe blackmailing them.

Marco just couldn't get it through his head that Star had to marry Tom, and it befuddled him that no one was objecting. That wasn't right, especially since her parents have always seemed to want the best for her, and while no one was objecting, no one seemed thrilled about the concept either.

He leaned closer to the door, hoping to hear something, _anything_. His fingers softly brushed the tip of the doorknob. Do he dare open it?

The earthling's choice seemed to have been made for him when the door flung open, causing him to stumble back. Marco tripped and fell on his spine.

Tom emerged from the room, but he didn't seem to notice Marco. "Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your own hands are clean, Star Butterfly."

Marc wondered what that could've meant.

With that, the door was slammed shut. Tom seemed engulfed his own thoughts, so much that he hardly paid attention to the fire igniting at his shoes. Absentmindedly, the Hispanic teen wondered how the leather of the shoe wasn't melting.

Marco quickly stood up and cleared his throat. Tom quickly turned his attention towards the human. He immediately frowned.

"You're still here? _Really_?" the other young man didn't seem so happy to see Marco. The feeling was apparently mutual.

"What exactly are you up to?" Marco accused. The demon rolled his eyes.

"Straight forward, aren't you?" he scoffed, "You probably get that from Star." Tom began walking away without a second glance.

"Whoa! I'm talking here!" he exclaimed. Tom barely acknowledged him. Marco couldn't believe how easily he was brushed off. It seemed that since he got there, everyone had ignored his presence.

"That's nice, now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do," Tom said, dismissing him. The earthling ran to keep up with him. He blocked his path so that he could fully get Tom's attention. Said demon was less than impressed.

"I'm going to find out what you're up to," Marco said. His voice was thick with conviction.

"Whatever is happening, is none of your business," Tom countered, his voice close to a growl. The fire grew further, causing Marco to conclude that he was irritated.

"It is if my best friend is involved," he remarked. Tom's eyes began turning a vibrant shade of ruby, and his pupils became white.

"Star has been updated on the current situation, if you're really _dying_ to know, go ask her like the loyal dog you are." The King slightly smirked. That struck a cord within Marco, causing his face to flush in embarrassment. Marco, however, was wise enough to ignore the snide comment.

"I want to hear directly from you. Star doesn't always have the best judgment, but I do; you can't lie to me," the earthling stated.

"I'm not going to repeat myself just because you want to make a judgment call," he growled, "Now get out of my way."

"No." Marco stubbornly stood in his way.

Tom was really livid now. The fire had snaked its way to Marco's shoes, causing his resolve to falter. Nonetheless, he had dared to say no the mighty King himself, and there was no backing out now. He'd have to stand his ground until the end, but it would be all worth in the end if it were for Star.

The Hispanic teen had to think of something quick; the look on Tom's face suggested he was seconds away from throwing him across the hall. Tom's fist clenched, and Marco knew that it would happen soon unless he did something to prevent it.

"I challenge you to a spar," Marco blurted out. Tom immediately froze and his eyes reverted back to their usual red color.

"A spar?" the tone of his voice sounded interested. The teen had the other male's attention, so he elaborated quickly before he lost it.

"Yeah, a spar. No fire, no demonic powers, just pure skill in strategy," he spoke, "I win, you have to tell Star and me the entire truth."

"This seems strangely familiar, except, you know, _I'm_ not the one challenging you this time," Tom said.

Marco couldn't agree more. He felt like this was Deja vu all over again considering what had happened the first time: he had gotten creamed.

However, this time, things would be different. He knew what he was up against. The earthling had been studying martial arts for years, he had spent painstaking hours honing his body to the martial arts he had learned. Marco had forced his body to respond to what his brain commanded him to do. His reflexes were as accurate as they'd ever be.

Tom, in contrast, was nothing without those powers of his.

The demon King probably knew Marco was baiting him; however, he knew that Tom couldn't resist a challenge. The earthling heavily relied on that only assumption.

The young man stared at the earthling with a piercing gaze and if looks could kill, Marco would be suffering from first degree burns by now. The intense stare was beginning to unnerve him, and the teenager felt like looking away from the glare. Marco opened his mouth hesitantly.

"How about we make this interesting," Tom began, "If you were to win, I'd do something greater for you: I wouldn't force Star to marry me," he noticed the elation of Marco's face and continued, " _But,_ if _I_ win, you'd have to pledge your alliance to me, you'd always have bow in my presence, just like all my loyal subjects."

His mouth was agape, "What? No, I'd never do that,"

"Suit yourself. If you can't bother risking the stakes, then don't bother making a deal with the devil. Now, if you're done wasting my time..." Tom sidestepped Marco, his shoes quietly clicking in the large hallway. The earthling began to panic at how quickly he was losing him.

"Wait!" Marco blurted out. Tom stopped with a smirk on his face. "You really wouldn't make Star marry you?" the human asked.

The young King turned towards the earthling. With a mocking smile, he put two fingers on his heart in a pledge. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Alright. I accept to those terms." Marco extended his arm, "But no powers means no powers."

Tom shrugged, "If that's what you want." His hand gripped Marco's in a firm handshake.

* * *

Star sat across from her parents. She stared at them blankly, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Sapphire eyes were glazed over, a sign that she was in thought.

King and Queen Butterfly hadn't said anything. They weren't sure whether initiating the conversation would ease the tension, or if Star simply needed more time to think.

The princess was certainly thinking alright, but not about initiating the conversation; she was thinking about the one and only demon King.

The young princess had no reason to trust Tom, to believe what he had explained to her. His confession seemed very biased. He placed no guilt on himself, it was likely that he was blaming her parents to turn her against them. She wouldn't put it past him to stoop that low.

A key factor that caused her to doubt herself was when he had pulled her close to his frame. Star remembered it clearly. She had intended to punch him, maybe use her magic on him, but he had been much quicker than she had initially anticipated.

His skin was seething, but not hot enough to burn her. He smelt of ashes and of masculinity, one not entirely unpleasant. He had spoken his words harshly and with complete conviction.

Star knew that having fear was natural: a person needed fear to trigger the basic flight or fight instinct. She had always made the most important decisions under pressure.

Despite the gravity of any situation the princess had been in, deep down, she had always known that everything was going to be alright. When situations got out of hand, the blonde girl could always rely on someone to help her through the problem.

Now here Tom was, giving her a reality check. The same people she had always counted on to save her, were now the ones putting her in danger. Not even her best friend was in the position to assist her, but she knew that wasn't his fault.

The princess was on her own, forced to solve the problem her parents couldn't. The situation was thrust upon her; she had no choice, all the responsibility was dumped on her. Her parents had put her in a tight position by deciding her fate and leaving the residue weight on her shoulders.

Tom had uttered unpleasant words to her, and deep down, it hurt her pride to admit he was right. Star realized that she was calling the shots now, and the fact didn't please her as much as it once would have. The blonde girl would have total control of the situation. That statement scared her. One wrong move could cause the death of her people, and that frightened her more than anything.

In previous circumstances, she had mostly never had control of the situation, but things had always fallen into place. Now that she had control, things were becoming erratic and unmanageable.

"Star," her mother called. Her blue eyes suddenly focused on the two beings in front of her.

"They attacked Mewni, didn't they?" Star asked. Her mother's eyes softened and she slowly nodded.

"You must let us explain the situation," River Butterfly interjected.

"I'm listening," Star replied firmly.

"Initially, we were aware that these monsters were headed towards our Kingdom. After all, an attack towards Mewni is not uncommon, we believed that our soldiers could handle the opposing soldiers. We had defeated monsters before, this shouldn't have been more than a romp in the park," her father grew grim, "We hadn't anticipated their newfound strength. We underestimated them and paid dearly for it. No civilians were killed, but our soldiers didn't suffer the same fate—"

"No civilians...?" she questioned.

"That is correct," King Butterfly stated. Star stubbornly shook her head.

"You're lying! Ten percent of Mewni's population... they were... they're gone, aren't they?" she angrily asked. Her father seemed shocked that she knew this information, but it didn't take him long to put the pieces together on who had told her.

"Yes," her father began, "War casualties are no surprise. Those that perished were peasants, nothing but homeless lurkers." Star eyed him incredulously: she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"They were Mewnians, dad. They were part of our dimension," the princess' voice began rising, "They didn't deserve to die!"

"Neither did half of our army, unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it now. What's done is done, the ambassadors have taken care of it," her mother's voice cut like daggers. The girl sunk into her seat, eyes wide in disbelief.

She couldn't believe how easily her parents were dismissing the deaths of all those people. They were acting as if this was a common procedure as if those lives were insignificant. Her father had said that attacks on Mewni happened regularly. Could it be that this had always been their way? Had she just never noticed? Why hadn't she ever realized this before?

 _"Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your own hands are clean, Star Butterfly."_

Was that what Tom had meant by that?

"Why didn't you guys tell me anything?" Star asked, fighting to keep her voice neutral. She knew she was failing miserably.

"You are too impulsive Star. We knew that you would stubbornly dive into battle without realizing who were you up against," her father replied.

Star sheepishly looked down at her lap. The blonde girl knew he was right, she'd admit that much. She attempted to ignore the creeping thought in the back of her head.

 _"...King and Queen think they can keep this all censored from their innocent little girl, but we know better, don't we Star?"_

She clutched the fabric of her dress and prompted to keep her mouth shut.

"Our allies weren't able to assist us, and our greatest alliance was Uni, but you know now that they were defeated as well," King Butterfly sighed.

"We did what any rulers could do: we had to seek out the one Kingdom that could help us defeat those monsters," her mother said. Star's sapphire eyes widened.

"So he was right," the princess muttered, "You—you used me as a bargaining chip."

"Who was right?" her father asked. It took a second before it clicked, "What else did that demon tell you?"

"That's not important, all it matters was that he was right," Star narrowed her eyes at them. So Tom hadn't been lying and her parents had confirmed it. "There's no use in lying now, I know everything." That was a stretch, considering Tom hadn't told her _that_ much. Who knows what he had kept to himself; in fact, he might have told her more if she hadn't have gotten so stubborn.

"Everything...?" King Butterfly muttered wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I see I'm just an after thought after you've made all your decisions," Star sadly mumbled.

"Star, this is exactly why we couldn't tell you. We had no idea how you could react," her mother countered. Her light blue eyes lit up in a fierce glare that was enough to frighten her husband. River Butterfly unconsciously backed up, looking torn between his wife and daughter. The anger bubbling in Star began rising up in response to her mom's words.

"Well, how am I supposed to react at realizing that my parents were lying to me, and _surprise!_ I'm getting married to the demon King, whoop-di-doo," Star stood up from her chair, making erratic hand motions, "And I'm supposed to be _happy_?"

"The least you could do is be a little more considerate," her mother remarked.

"Oh, so it's my fault now? I'm sorry _I'm_ acting uncalled for," the blonde girl replied sarcastically. Her mother gave an irritated sigh.

"I'm growing weary of your attitude, Star. Your imprudence has shown me that you have learned absolutely nothing from your time in the Earth dimension," the Queen said. Star, usually more placid, was losing control of her emotions. She was drowning in the piles of new information, and her mother wasn't comforting her, though this really didn't surprise the princess.

Star and her mother had bickered before on numerous occasions, but this seemed to take it towards a new level. This "attitude", as her mother had called it, had been building up for months, maybe even years, from the overly high expectations her mother had set for her. Every day had been a constant reminder of how she was never good enough.

"You should have sent me to St. Olga's reform, I'm sure you would have just loved for them to brainwash me," Star frustratingly ran her hands through her unruly hair. Deep down, the princess was beginning to feel her magical powers ignite from her unchecked emotions.

"Look at you, pulling these tantrums. How can I trust you to become queen, when I can barely even trust you with this information," her mother snapped. Star gasped, tears beginning to prick her eyes.

"All I wanted was for you to at least give me a heads up. You didn't even bother to ask how I felt, you didn't even give me a choice," her voice was strained, and her face beat red. Star clenched her hands together and released a shaky breath.

"Star, we can give you this choice. If you truly don't wish to be wedded to that _demon_ , then I will find another solution, we can do this together," her father spoke gently. Her mother looked as if she was going to object.

 _Together_. She wished that were true.

"But you're not actually giving me a choice! You put me in a deal where there's no backing out!" Star slammed her hand on the table, a bolt of magic shooting up into the ceiling. Her parents flinched back. Star recoiled from the power of her outburst. Her glare softened, and she sighed in defeat. "You're telling me that I have the option to ignore everyone's suffering... and that—that wouldn't make me a good princess..."

Star was a good princess, or if she hadn't been before, she would start to be good from that point on. The blonde would show Tom that he was wrong about his intuition about her.

She supposed it was time to start taking action now.

Her father gazed at her dubiously. It seemed he wasn't all that enthusiastic about the idea either, at least he was on her side. He opened his mouth as if to interject, but the Queen placed a hand over his shoulder. She looked at him with a persistent stare.

"I'll do it," Star stated with as much conviction as she could muster, "But don't expect me to be happy about it."

Queen Butterfly sighed in relief. She gave the princess a weary smile. "Star, dear—"

"Hang on, I'm not done yet," the blonde girl interrupted. Her mother's eyes widened in surprise. "I have a few conditions."

* * *

The earthling watched as the demon rose gracefully across from him.

"What is this place?" Marco questioned. Tom had led him towards another room in the large castle, thought Marco had been skeptical, considering he didn't want to end up in a dungeon again.

The walls around him were worn out with filth. The location reeked of sweat and testosterone. The floor was littered with various pieces of armor.

"This is where Mewni's guards come to train," Tom scoffed, "Though they've obviously been slacking in that department."

Marco wasn't sure what to say in response to the young King's remark. He opted to ignore it.

"How do you even know about this place?" the earthling asked dubiously.

Tom scoffed again, "Do you think this is my first time here? I've visited this castle long before you came along."

"That might be true, but this is the last time you'll be visiting. You've definitely overstayed your welcome," the teen declared. Tom narrowed his eyes in an unfriendly manner.

"Whatever, are we going to get this over with or not?" he sighed impatiently. The young King seemed ready to begin, thought Marco couldn't say the same for himself. Tom's slackened behavior caused Marco to believe he wasn't taking this as serious as he was.

Marco began to falter. He pulled the collar of his jacket out of nervousness "Wait!" he protested.

Tom rolled his eyes, " _Now what_?"

"Don't we need a witness? Someone to make sure you don't cheat...?" Marco questioned. The demon shrugged. He casually strutted towards the doorway.

"Hey, you there," Tom pointed towards the nearest knight, "Come over here." The young man seemed to have made quite the reputation around there, for the knight took less than two seconds in obeying the demon King. The knight nervously sweated through his heavy armor. "Supervise our spar. If anyone uses powers, you automatically disqualify them.

"Fail to do your job, and I'll have you decapitated faster than you can say _wait_. Do I make myself clear?" Tom snarled.

The knight whimpered, quickly nodding. The rattling sound of his heavy armor made Marco cringe.

"Good," the young man smirked. He slightly showed off his fangs, succeeding in intimidating the poor guard even further.

Tom returned to the training mats. He calmly resumed his previous position, unfazed that he had just made a death threat. Marco openly gaped at him.

"Are we starting, or not?" Tom questioned. Marco shook his head to compose himself. His got into position again. The young King stood vertically, shoulders and spine straight. Tom didn't bother to remove any of his immaculate clothing; he even kept his earring. Marco wasn't dishonorable enough to fight dirty, but it always helped have a backup plan.

The young King raised a hand, beckoning Marco to dare and attack.

Marco let out a battle cry and charged forward. Tom's reflexes kicked in, aiding him narrowly avoid the blow. The Hispanic teen again attempted to land a blow on the demon's ribs but was unsuccessful when Tom used his forearm to block it.

True to his word, Tom was refraining from using any type of powers. Marco was a little more than impressed at how well his opponent was dodging his attacks; he hadn't been able to land one punch. For the first few minutes, the fight carried on that way: Marco on offense and Tom on defense.

Their spar carried on along the entire room. However, after none of his attacks managed to affect the other male, Marco was beginning to grow irritated. At this point, he was drenched in sweat, and his muscles burned from the intense workout.

"Are you going to fight," he said as he threw another punch, and missed, "Or not?"

"Oh, we're starting now?" Tom mocked, "I thought this was just a warm up."

In a flash, the demon was able to grab the fist Marco had aimed towards his torso. Tom constricted the limb with his own hand, cracking his knuckles in the process. The human used his only free hand to catch Tom off guard. The demon was able to foresee this, managing to grab the other fist as well. Marco attempted to sidestep his opponent to gain the advantage. Tom would have none of that, though. He jumped, avoiding Marco's maneuver. Tom then flipped the earthling, effortlessly twisting his arm in an unbreakable hold. The position was enough to dislocate Marco's shoulder if provoked.

Even the guard winced at the sight.

"What? How did you—" Marco stuttered.

"A King never reveals his secrets," Tom intoned. The young man quickly released Marco, stepping back to let the human regain his composure. Marco groaned, flipping onto his back. He elevated his head to look at his opponent.

"You—you knew you were going to win, didn't you?" the Hispanic teen questioned. Tom released a resonant cruel, wicked laugh.

"You're a fool, Marco," the demon King stated. He brushed off his suit, attempting to maintain its cleanliness'.

Marco frowned, "What...? I don't understand..."

"The fact is that _I'm_ not the one forcing Star to marry me," he spoke, "Whether you would have won this little _spar_ wouldn't have mattered in the long run. This concerns matters you just can't understand. No one can change what's happening, not me," Tom walked over towards Marco's fallen figure, lightly shoving him with his shoe. "Not even you,"

Embarrassment sunk into his gut, and he stood up so that he could regain what was left of his dignity. "You're a real jerk, you know that?" Marco said.

"No one likes a sore loser, Marco," Tom mocked. Marco felt a sudden jolt of fury wash through him. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"To think, I actually thought you were an okay guy," the human frowned. Tom's smirk disappeared. For a second, Marco thought that his comment had gotten to him.

"That goes to show you how bad your so-called _judgment_ really is," the other male remarked triumphantly. The young King turned his back to Marco.

Rule number one: never turn your back on your opponents.

He didn't have to continue the spar, Tom had already told him his efforts were futile, so Marco didn't understand the urge to continue fighting. The earthling wanted to have the last word, to show that wasn't easily bested. Marco was not a fool, he would gladly demonstrate it.

The teen's beating heart caused his blood to pump through his veins. He could hear the loud thumps, each one stronger than the last. He inhaled slowly, channeling all his efforts into one single blow. Determination helped him to clear his head so that he was able to make a single-minded decision.

 _Fight or flight?_

 _Fight._

Tom slowly looked in the direction of the doorway, giving Marco the perfect opportunity to pounce. His lungs burned once he forced his muscles to react. His pupils dilated, and his knuckled were white because of how tightly his fist was clenched.

Marco gave a satisfactory grin knowing that Tom wouldn't be able to react in time. The demon's hands were at his side and his posture was carefree; everything seemed in the earthling's favor.

Just as his fist was about to connect with Tom's jaw, the demon himself quickly turned in Marco's direction. Their eyes locked, and Tom threw him a smirk.

The grin on his lips suddenly vanished. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't place what it was. It was too late to retreat, so he met his fate.

His fist collided with Tom's bare face. The demon fell to the ground, despite Marco knowing that the force of his swing hadn't been powerful enough knock him down. The sound of his fist hitting flesh echoed through the air. Marco wanted to celebrate his accomplishment, but Tom's smirk had unnerved him too much to do anything.

"Marco, what heck are you doing?" a voice suddenly exclaimed. He turned head quickly to see Star standing at the doorway, her posture hinting that she was not at all pleased with what she was seeing. Marco analyzed the situation: his fist in the air, and Tom on the ground.

"Well Marco, if you really didn't want me to marry Star that badly, you should have just said so," Tom coyly added.

Marco face palmed: How was it that he got into these situations?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** **I'd like to give gratitude to those who have given this story a chance, I really appreciate it. This story is a bit different, but I'm glad to have united a small group to like it.**

 **To answer someone's question: I've been writing for a while now, I guess you can say I've learned a thing or two. Most of it comes from my imagination and experience, but I do have my college classes for support.**

 **I have a lot of mixed feelings about recent episodes, but if it's canon, I'll go along with it.**

 **Thank you all, and if you have an opinion, I'd love to hear it.**

* * *

"Star, I swear I didn't hit him that hard!" Marco insisted. Star blew a stray hair from her face. Yesterday she had seen Tom being punched by Marco, and while maybe another time she would have applauded her best friend's actions, she simply wasn't in the mood. Star had decided to grab Marco by the ear and drag him away, circumstances be damned. Tom was a conniving jerk, and the fact that he was smirking as she dragged Marco out of the room led her to suspect that it had all been planned. Tom wasn't one to laugh when getting punched in the face; usually, he'd go on a rampage, and the room would have already been incinerated at that point.

"Then why did you hit him?" the princess asked. She brushed her hair, hoping to look a little more dignified than the day before. Star huffed when she heard Marco hesitate.

"We were sparring..." he slowly replied. Marco avoided his gaze, but Star could see him through the mirror. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Uh-huh, and _why_ were you sparring with the _almighty Demon King_?" she asked, putting emphasis on the sarcasm. Star could see Marco sweatdrop.

"Well, funny story—" the teenager was interrupted by Star's exasperated groan.

"First of all, your stories are never funny," the princess put down her brush and faced him, "Secondly, you know you shouldn't involve yourself with him. Tom's a jerk."

"I thought I could outsmart him," Marco replied, evident disappointment in his voice.

"Although you _can_ outsmart him, we both know that Tom is a cheater and sore loser." Star replied.

"Of course I know that. It's just…" the teen hesitated, "Can you believe that this is a guy I once considered a friend at one point?"

"He was my boyfriend at one point. There's no hope for that guy. Besides," she said, "He stopped being anyone's friend after he almost blew up Earth.

"Isn't it strange how he almost destroyed this dimension then just... disappeared for almost three years? Am I the only one who finds that weird?" he asked.

"I stopped trying to understand that guy a long time ago, it's best if you do too," the princess stated. She adjusted her dress and brushed it off. When she looked up, she noticed Marco was staring at her.

"What?"

"Is this really necessary?" he asked.

"I have to make _some_ effort to look nice—"

"No! Not that. I mean the whole marriage thing..." the teen frowned.

"Yes, Marco, I already told you the whole situation." Star made a move to grab her wand and her dimensional scissors. Her friend released a groan and slumped into his chair.

"Can't we just run away and get our own recruits or something?" he pleaded.

"As much as I would love that, I don't think I can leave Mewni at the hands of Tom right now. You just have to trust me, okay?" she looked at him expectantly. He sighed.

"I'll help you find a way out of this, I promise you, Star."

The princess placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She knew he was being honest, but she also knew that if there was nothing she could do, there was nothing her Earthling friend could do either.

Star looked into his hopeful eyes. Caramel orbs shone with determination. She decided that she didn't have the heart to put him down.

* * *

Tom sat across from her again, arms crossed behind his head. His facial features revealed nothing but a smooth complexion. She looked at his face. His fierce eyes were outlined by dark eyelashes and a thick streak of black. Though, it was his sharp jawline and aristocratic nose that gave his face masculinity.

Star huffed, once he got angry, he wouldn't look the same, that was for sure.

The only discernable emotion Star was able to find was concealed in those bright eyes of his. They shone with amusement and arrogance. The way the king held himself juxtaposed with his feeling of superiority; he knew he was the most powerful in the room in terms of physical strength and political power. He had the advantage and Star despised him for it.

"I've decided to accept the proposition," Star spoke up, gaining the attention of everybody in the room. Prying eyes were on her, including Tom's. All the Mewnians held their breath, probably in anticipation for the demon's response.

They were sorely dismayed at his reply.

"Tut-tut, that's not the proper way to greet your guests," Tom responded unapprovingly. He shook his head and sighed. The senators exchanged bemused glances.

It took Star a few moments to comprehend his words. They had thrown her completely off; that was the last response she had been expecting from him. "What?" Star blurted unintelligibly. Her eyes widened incredulously, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"You're supposed to greet other monarchies by their full title, Princess Star Butterfly," the Demon King chided mockingly. Her eye twitched and her face flushed in irritation. "Let's try again. Good morning, Princess Butterfly. Now you say..." He motioned with his hands for her to continue.

"Tom..." she growled in warning.

"Ah, ah! _King_ Tom," he corrected. The Demon King sighed, "Do you anything about etiquette?"

Star glanced at her parents with a furious glint in her eyes. Despite how childish it seemed, she blamed them for her predicament. She was doing this for them and for her people. The princess could take responsibility for cleaning up their mess, but it wouldn't slip her mind that it was them who got her there in the first place. A deep irritation had ignited in her chest as a result, causing her to feel betrayal every time she so much as thought about her birth givers.

"Good morning, great, almighty Demon King Tom -whatever your last name is- of the vast Underworld." she spat. The princess crossed her arms defiantly.

"Laying it a bit thick, aren't we?" he asked, amusement shining brighter in his eyes, "No matter. Go on, you were saying?"

"I've decided to accept the proposition," Star repeated.

"Well technically, you proposed this idea. _I'm_ the one accepting." the demon stated. Star stubbornly ignored him.

"I have a few conditions, though," she continued. His soft features hardened at her words.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's this about conditions?" Tom demanded, raising an eyebrow. The princess was glad to have finally wiped that smirk off his face.

"Don't be rude, King Tom, let me finish," Star said, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. She smugly narrowed her eyes at his slight glare. The demon rolled his eyes before waving his hand for her to proceed.

"You have complete control of this marriage, so I just want to make sure Mewni is really benefitting from this partnership. Let's lay it out. I won't marry you until I turn 18 in a few months. That should be enough time to organize the wedding. And I don't care if this marriage sucks, I'm going to have a glamorous wedding and you won't stop me," the blonde girl commanded. She pointed accusingly at him as if he would somehow foil her plans. He raised an eyebrow and nodded.

She looked at him to see any hints of anger, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw something that was akin to the opposite of irk. Star continued.

"As Queen of Mewni, I get full access to rule as I please. Rule the Underworld like you want, but your kingdom won't merge with mine. Keep your evil demons away from any of my Mewmans," the princess explained, "Aside from saving Mewni, we need to try and save Uni. Uni is a powerful dimension, they're are best allies." Star looked over to the demon to see his reaction.

Needless to say, his icy demeanor wasn't reassuring. Tom's harsh chuckle filled the air.

"I think you misunderstand the word alliance. An alliance is a partnership, contributed from both sides. As future King of both the Underworld and Mewni, I have the rights to rule alongside you. This is not one sided, Star. You can't be the only one to benefit; although you think so little of my subjects, they are my people, and they deserve to be treated better than how you treat the peasants in your dimension."

"Mewni will not be ruled by an evil dictator." Star balled her fists.

"Take a good look at your parents and tell me that's not already happening." Tom scowled, flames subtly igniting at his shoes. Star glanced at her parents with confusion. Her eyebrows furrowed. Before she could retort, Tom continued talking. "My people will be allowed in this dimension without any borders. It would be tactful military-wise if I had access to both lands. My demons need to clean up your mess somehow but don't get your panties in a twist, it's not like they'd want to come to such a boring and pitiful dimension out of their own violation." The princess felt both relieved and offended at the same time.

"Fine. Do we have a deal then?" Star asked impatiently.

"I'm already humoring you in letting you speak freely but remember, _y_ _ou_ came to _me_. You're in no position to be setting up these ridiculous conditions because let me tell you something: beggars can't be choosers." the demon King scoffed, "The deal was simple: I marry the Princess, and the Kingdom is saved." Tom made exaggerated hand gestures to emphasize his point.

"But that's not fair!" she interjected. The princess leaned forward in outrage.

"Life's not fair, Princess. Get used to it," he replied icily. Star eyed him incredulously while pursed her lips tightly together. It wasn't often that she didn't get what she wanted. As an only child, she was almost never denied. Having access to magic allowed her to summon half of the things she wanted and anything more extravagant could be brought by her parents. All it took was her to bat her pretty baby blues and her dad was sold. Her mother required more coaxing, but the conclusion was mostly the same. Since she was a child, she had this wild her belief that her mom and dad could grant her everything. It was times like these that made the princess realize that just because she stomped her foot, she wouldn't get what she desired.

Star focused her gaze onto Tom. He wore a blank expression with only his eyes fixated onto her. The two guards beside him were hideous, though they were dressed in fine suits like their master. Their sharp appearance imposed intimidation on most of the Mewnians in the room. It was a great contrast to when they were younger and Tom was more susceptible to childish tantrums. She wasn't sure she liked this version of him either.

"What happened to you? You are an even bigger jerk than before," Princess Butterfly stated. This caused the demon's eyes to narrow.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_ I don't appease to you because I refuse to yield to your demands," he retorted sarcastically, "It's nothing personal, Starship. Just politics."

"That's it then? I get no say in anything? I refuse to accept that!"

"It's not like you really have a say in the matter," Tom scoffed, "But you know what, I can be a nice guy. I'll tell you what, I'll make sure that ridiculous horse planet is rescued, but once that happens, they automatically become allied with the Underworld. As for age, fine I'll wait until you're 18, doesn't make much of a difference to me.

Go all out with the wedding. Do what you want, have it on Mewni for all I care. All you need to know is that my demons will show up, and considering you're marrying the ruler of Hell, there will be a ritual involved." Tom reasoned. Star bit her lip. He had technically agreed to all her demands, despite that he had altered them. She wasn't sure how she felt about the ritual, but if it meant she could have total control of the ceremony, she'd go along with it.

Anxiety filled her chest; just the other day she worried about what homework she had to do, now she was worrying about what she was planning for her wedding. Star internally sobbed.

"What... kind of ritual?" the princess hesitantly asked.

He feigned disinterest, "Oh nothing, I just bite your neck and suck all your blood, claiming you as my bride."

All the Mewnians in the room released a disgusted gasp. They murmured angrily to one another. Star unconsciously grabbed her neck. She looked across the table and saw one of the demon guards grumble something to Tom. The young man laughed and replied in a language she couldn't understand.

"I'm _kidding_. It was a joke, no need to start throwing tables," he said.

Some of the council released several relieved sighs.

The princess decided to voice one more distressing thought. She knew she was treading on thin ice at this point, but she had to give it a try. Go big or go home, they said on Earth.

"What about Earth?" Star asked. His demeanor seemed to change completely. His smirk dropped, and a heated look drifting into his eyes.

"What _about_ Earth?" he asked, voice becoming sharper, "That dimension is not my concern, and Mewni's not in the position to be offering help. My only purpose there is to collect the souls of the damned." Tom said. His eyes flashed white. Star tenaciously met his gaze. The tension in the room automatically became thicker. Their auras were electric, both of their willpowers striking at each other, attempting to assert control on the other.

It seemed that Earth was a touchy subject for him.

This was going to be an _interesting_ marriage.

"Alright, _whatever_ ," she dismissed it, "So how exactly are we going to rule the Underworld and Mewni?"

He made a sound of disapproval, "You're a princess, aren't you? Shouldn't you know that by now?" he retorted. Star grit her teeth.

"How was I supposed to know I was going to get married and share kingdoms with the Demon King?" she snapped.

"You almost sound disappointed," Tom stated.

"Well I'm not happy, that's for sure," she scoffed.

" _Pa_ - _lease_ , any girl would be ecstatic to be in your place. Consider yourself lucky to have ended up with someone as handsome as me," he threw her a flirtatious wink. Star flushed red with indignation. She growled in an unladylike manner.

"Why you little—" her father had stepped in front of her, covering her mouth and restraining her arms before she could point any obscene gestures at Tom. River Butterfly grumbled a few words in her ear, causing Star to cease her struggles. Her father released her, allowing her to breathe.

"Please be professional, King _Tom_ ," she gritted her teeth. Amusement shone in his eyes. _The jerk is baiting me!_

"Only because you asked so nicely," he replied. He was brass enough to wink again.

She hissed at him.

"Sorry, my bad. It's just entertaining seeing your face turn that cute shade red," the young king said. Star spluttered. As if on cue, a tint of red appeared on her face. King Butterfly coughed loudly. Tom's red eyes flickered towards the old man. He frowned disdainfully at the other King's warning glare. Tom rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I see governing is still an active issue. How I plan to govern are negotiations between Princess Star and me. Once we've settled on a something, we'll advise Mewni's monarchy," he pointed to the council.

" _No_. Absolutely not. You will not decide Mewni's future without consulting any of us, senators and monarchy included," Queen Butterfly interrupted. Tom narrowed his eyes at her.

He snorted and innocently shrugged. "Well I just assumed that if Star was old enough to get placed into a marriage, she was old enough to make her own decisions, especially since you definitely seemed to consult with her about our arrangement before settling the deal," he coyly added. The Queen gave an indignant huff.

An icy feeling invaded her chest. Star looked down. It was true: Tom was behaving in a blunt manner, but there was no denying the truth in his words.

"You stop this manipulation at once!" the Queen demanded.

"Stop talking as if I weren't standing right here," Star interjected. She watched the exchange, unhappy at the fact that she was being ignored in matters as important as this.

"Star's right. She's standing right there, why don't you let _her_ decide what to do?" the King asked. On cue, everybody in the room expectantly turned to her. Her eyes widened like a deer caught in the headlights. The sudden attention caused her to become momentarily flabbergasted.

"Star, pay him no mind, he is simply trying to goad you into falling into his slick trap. You know better than this," her mom softly murmured.

The princess had never been given full reign of her own kingdom. Although Star was aware that the responsibility was immense, at least she knew she wouldn't have anyone looking over her shoulder. Star had always been cast out in a shadow, always kept in the dark about what was going on. This was, perhaps, a way out of her parents' restrictions

The Queen placed a hand on her shoulder. The princess hesitantly elevated her blue gaze to meet the older woman's. Her mom had a point, she had no idea about the politics of ruling; up to this point, she had only studied magic and combat. Tom obviously had more experience, this could just be a setup...

The blond girl bit her lower lip.

"Well..." she nervously began. Star looked at her parents. Tom seemed to have noticed.

"That's right, don't forget to ask mommy and daddy for permission," he taunted.

 _Oh, no he didn't._

Star turned to him with a harsh glare on her face. Much to her annoyance, he was unfazed by her murderous gaze. The demon was just _sitting_ there, with a stupid look on his stupid face. Princess Star Butterfly did not like the fact that her anger was being ignored. He vexed her so much, and she wanted to prove him wrong so badly. It killed her to know that someone as pretentious as him was superior to her. The princess could almost feel the steam blowing from her ears.

The princess slammed her fist onto the table. "I don't need their permission. I can make my own decisions and I _will_ make my own decisions." Star crossed her arms proudly while giving a soft "humpf."

The demon grinned, giving them all a view of his white teeth. "So it's settled then?"

"Yes," Star proudly held her stance, even at hearing her parents exhale in disbelief. In fact, she took even more pride in the matter.

"Let's make it official, shall we?" he asked.

"Fine with me."

"I assume you have the treaty, King and Queen Butterfly. Since I haven't signed yet, adjustments are still open to discussion, right?" he asked.

"You haven't signed yet?" Star's pose faltered a little.

Tom made an exaggerated gasp of astonishment, "And miss hearing the opinion of my favorite princess? Why I'd never..."

 _What a bunch of baloney._

A minute later, a Mewni guard arrived holding a thick, rolled-up paper.

"Give it here," Tom commanded. The guard did as he was told. The demon unraveled it, his eyes skimming through it, "Okay, uh huh... blah, blah, blah... Oh, here it is: Should any adjustments be made, they shall be put in this section here," he turned to her, "Care to do the honors? Or should we have the King and Queen write it for you."

"I can do it myself, thank you very much," she snapped.

Star was up in a heartbeat, snatching the pen from his hands. She took the official treaty, eyeing it suspiciously, at the same time carefully maintaining distance from Tom.

She scribbled the details:

Wait until Star Butterfly is 18.

Have a cool party based on what Star Butterfly wants.

Save Uni.

Uni pledges alliance to demons.

Rule together (ew) under a compromise from both parties.

Help Eart—

She was unable to finish the rest of her writing when someone had grabbed her wrist. Star rebelliously looked up at Tom. He gave her a hard stare. The young adult plucked the pen from her grasp.

"Hey!" she protested. Tom immediately scribbled away the last detail.

"Hah, nice try, Starship, but I'm not an idiot," said the Demon King.

"That's debatable..." she grumbled under her breath. He gave her a silent snarl.

"Sign here and the deed is done. If anyone has any protests, speak now or forever hold your peace—no? No one? Okay, sign right there... terms and conditions may apply," he spoke quickly, not giving anyone the chance to interject.

"Star, wait!" her father rose. The Queen placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. They exchanged glances.

The blonde girl froze.

There were multiple eyes on her again. This was perhaps, one of the most important moments for her dimension. It was this paper that would save thousands. Oddly enough, she didn't feel like a hero.

In signing this piece of paper, she'd be relinquishing her previous lifestyle of no responsibilities; she'd relinquish her life with Marco. Things would change forever, and the paper was symbolic of it. She was making a deal with the devil, literally. This couldn't end well for her.

She squeezed the pen in her hands. Cold sweat welled up on her forehead. Star held her breath. A minute ago, she was so confident, it only took a paper and pen to discourage her bravado. Blonde eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

A tear welled up in her eyes. Her heart ached with sadness and a yearning for the life she'd have to say goodbye to. Things wouldn't be the same... She had never known anything different, though.

A stray tear fell from her delicate cheeks. A warm hand came up to her face, startling her in the process. Her alarmed eyes met his. His crimson eyes were mocking with a hint of false compassion. His thumb brushed the tear away from her soft skin.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" he asked softly. His voice was so sympathetic, so quiet... so fake.

She yanked her head away, scowling at him the process, "Stop touching me." He pinched her cheek in spite of her. Star threw him a dirty look.

The princess paid him no mind as she signed the 'x' below the print. Tom wasted no time signing his own name in elegant curves, making her signature look childish.

He raised his hand and allowed a dark wisp to come in contact with the paper, sinking into the print. Star looked at him with confusion. "Just a little something to make sure neither of us breaks our deal."

"Dark magic?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, Princess," he snorted. Well, pardon her then.

Tom faced the Mewnians, holding up the treaty like some sort of trophy.

"In the Underworld, it's custom to have a drink to celebrate..." Tom paused, "Eh, whatever it is you want to celebrate. So I'd like to propose a toast for the unification of our Kingdoms."

"That really won't be necessary—" her mother was cut off.

"It really is. You've all been _so_ hospitable, I'd thought I'd return the favor by offering you all a drink. After all," Tom stopped, eyes roving around the room to look at the council, "It looks like you all need it."

* * *

Although Tom had invited them all to drinks, he could sense the King and Queen's displeasure. He was mocking their situation by casually proposing a drink. Of course, he knew it wasn't the time for such trivial acts; they should prepare for further negotiations, start sending out the message to other kingdoms.

But damn, he loved seeing the glowers on their faces.

They all settled around the table once more. "A toast: to the Underworld, and to our newest allies: Mewni and Uni." The Mewnians lightly tapped their glasses and sipped their wine. Though they were all weary, he could sense some of the tension die down.

He was about to lift the glass to his lips, but a pair of eyes stopped him from doing so. There was one glare settled on him and he had a suspicion on who is was.

"What?" he asked, not bothering to turn to the Princess.

"You don't look old enough to drink," she pointed out. He shrugged, and downed the entire glass in one go.

"Just because there's a drinking age on Mewni, doesn't mean it applies to everyone else. Besides," he downed another glass, "It doesn't affect me. Because of my high body heat, I have a high metabolism. Means it takes a lot of these babies before I can be considered drunk." Tom grabbed a bottle and patted it affectionately.

Star looked at the glass in front of her. She raised a hand, possibly to reach it. However, she seemed to change her mind halfway, because the teen ended up pushing it away. Tom rolled his eyes.

 _Amateur_.

"Well, folks, it's been fun, but I've gotta run. I've got to settle things with my own council," Tom stood up, his demon minions following suit. "If you need me, call me up, or simply die. I have a feeling I'll be seeing most of your souls in hell anyways."

Tom heard a variety of collective gasps, causing him to chuckle. He winked, ironically throwing a peace sign. The demon took his bottle, tucking it under his arm. Once he secured his possession, he made a move for the door. His loyal subjects followed, opening the door for him.

He heard fast footsteps come from behind. The demon to his left spoke.

" _Your majesty, the small, blonde one approaches,"_ the minion said in their native language.

 _"Let her, let's see what she has to say now,"_ Tom replied.

"Tom!" she shouted. He turned around.

" _King_ Tom," the young man corrected. Her eye twitched in irritation.

"So, that's it then? You're just going to leave." Star crossed her arms and looked up at him.

"Well, yeah. I made that pretty clear, no?" the young king replied.

"What's going to happen now?" Star asked.

"I don't know, I guess that depends if you contact me or not."

"How am I supposed to contact you?" she asked irritably.

"Well I don't think dying's an option; I wouldn't see your pretty face where I live," he murmured. The princess wasn't amused. "You have my number on your mirror, don't you?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Good. I'll talk to you tomorrow then. See yah," With that, him and his minions disappeared into a wall of flames. Tom purposely left before she could finish her thought.

She must have been pissed off.

He took total satisfaction at the fact.

The princess was a stubborn girl, that was for sure.

But, then again, so was he.

It amused him as much as it annoyed him. It gave him joy to burst her little bubble. It was times like this that made him realize how he took joy in the smallest things.

When he had been younger, Tom had suffered through the rejection to Star: the one girl that simply wouldn't obey him. His infatuation with her had been more obsessive than it had been sincere. Looking back, he couldn't exactly remember what drew him into the girl. It was more of the fact that he wouldn't let her have the last word.

Looking at it now, Tom realized that the traits he once found annoying in her, were the aspects that most amused him presently. It was hard to find an entertaining mortal, not that female demons didn't interest him, but they were wicked in a way he didn't find interesting anymore.

Star was riveting because she was so unpredictable.

At the same time, the princess was so naïve, so inexperienced when it came to the real world. Her ignorance would have been endearing if it hadn't been so infuriating.

Though, he could play this in his favor. He could easily manipulate her, simply because her inner desires were that obvious. Knowing what she really wanted made it easy to subliminally sway her.

Her mind was strong and it made his inner demon instinct jump at the chance of breaking her.

However, this wasn't the time for that. He had many important matters to attend to. Tom wouldn't break her, not when she showed so much potential. Not only was Star Butterfly his only source of entertainment but he knew that she had the possibility to be part of a bigger picture.

All he had to do was enlighten her a little.


End file.
